A recount that was conducted after the discovery of an election software glitch shows that Steven Clayton was certified as a winner of one of three open seats on the Ocean Township Board of Education – even though Jeffery Weinstein received more votes.
On Feb. 10, the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Monmouth County Board of Elections and Monmouth County Superintendent of Elections Office issued a joint statement that reads, “Pursuant to the Court Order by Judge David Bauman, the Monmouth County Board of Elections began the full recount in the four affected towns. While the County and Federal tallies will not be completed until all four towns’ ballots are counted, the Board has completed the Ocean Board of Education contest. The recount totals for that race can be found at monmouthcountyvotes.com.”
Once on that page, you can find the results of the recount.
The recount shows that Weinstein, the former board president, received 3,408 votes whereas Clayton received 3,404 votes.
Amy McGovern and GraceAnne Talrico remained the top two vote-getters after the recount, earning 4,327 votes and 3,680 votes respectively.
As School Board Notes reported Jan 18, election offices in Monmouth County notified the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General after discovering the software problem. According to an earlier statement, “It appears to have been a technical problem with Election Systems & Software’s (ES&S) election software system, which has been identified and is in the process of being rectified. ES&S is one of a limited number of election system vendors certified by the State. As a result of the problem, there were inaccurate vote tallies in 6 of Monmouth County’s 466 districts, in Belmar, Fair Haven, Ocean Township, and Tinton Falls.”
Clayton remains listed as a member of the board of education on the district’s website. He previously served on the board from 2016 to 2018. After results of the recount became known, he told the Asbury Park Press, “I am respecting the process as it plays out and exploring all options as things are still unfolding.”
Weinstein told the newspaper he was looking forward to returning to the board. “I want to thank the Board of Elections for all the work, time, effort and thoroughness in conducting the three-day recount,” Weinstein said. “I am happy the results are now accurately reported and excited to resume my position on the Ocean Township Board Education and serving the community.”
Irene Gilman, president of the Ocean Township Board of Education, said each party has the right to appeal and that the board is allowing the legal process to play out.